National Basketball Association
Indiana 116, Charlotte 111
When: 5:00 PM ET, Sunday, January 8, 2023
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Officials: #52 Scott Twardoski, #86 Brandon Schwab, #25 Tony Brothers
Attendance: 15805

Myles Turner scored 29 points, Buddy Hield added 21 points -- including a free throw that proved to be the difference -- and the Indiana Pacers rallied past the visiting Charlotte Hornets 116-111 on Sunday in Indianapolis.

With less than a minute remaining and the score tied at 107, Hield blocked a desperation 3-point attempt by LaMelo Ball. Ball, who was limited to 24:31 of playing time due to early foul trouble, was whistled for his sixth and disqualifying foul when he kicked out on Hield's block in the hope of drawing foul shots.

Instead, Hield went to the line and gave Indiana the lead for good. The Pacers spent much of the game playing catch-up, falling behind by 14 points in the first half.

They battled back to take a lead into intermission, but Charlotte regained control in the third quarter with a 10-0 run as the period ended. Jalen McDaniels scored five straight of his 17 points during the Hornets burst.

Indiana tied the score four times on the final 3:03 mark -- once on a Turner 3-pointer and later on Turner's three-point play with 1:11 remaining that tied it at 107 score -- but did not retake the lead until the final 53.3 seconds.

Turner's layup-and-free throw that knotted the game opened a pivotal 6-0 run and the foul shot was part of a 10-of-11 finish at the foul line for the Pacers.

All five Indiana starters scored in double figures, which was necessary with the typically explosive Bennedict Mathurin held to four points on 1-of-9 shooting from the floor. The Pacers bench tallied just 16 points.

But with Andrew Nembhard shooting 7-of-11 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range en route to 19 points, Tyrese Haliburtion scoring 16 points and dishing 13 assists, and Aaron Nesmith adding 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field, Indiana did enough to pick up its sixth win in the last seven games.

For Charlotte, Sunday's loss marked its fourth in the last five games.

P.J. Washington led the Hornets with 22 points, Terry Rozier added 19 despite shooting just 2 of 9 from 3-point range, and Mason Plumlee added 18 points and 13 rebounds.

Ball's streak of consecutive 20-point-plus games ended at 13, as he finished with 13 points.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Charlotte   Indiana
P.J. Washington 22 Scoring Myles Turner 29
LaMelo Ball 8 Assists Tyrese Haliburton 13
Mason Plumlee 13 Rebounds Oshae Brissett 10
Terry Rozier 7 Free Throws Made Myles Turner 8
Terry Rozier 2 Steals Andrew Nembhard 4
Cody Martin 1 Blocks Myles Turner 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Charlotte 111 43.2 11-33 24-27 25 49 4 8 18
Indiana 116 43.7 13-38 27-33 27 41 7 14 16
Upcoming Games
  • Indiana will play their next game on the road against New York. The Pacers have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .632 after a loss.
  • Charlotte will play their next game on the road against Toronto. The Hornets have a W/L % of .091 after a win and .333 after a loss.